New Delhi: Congress which suffered a major electoral setback in the latest round of state assembly elections is at a crossroads. After coming to power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in 2018 December, assembly elections were held in as many as 19 states. But the Congress could not come to power on its own even in a single state. Its sharing of power in the Maharashtra and Jharkhand state governments as part of an alliance should not be deemed as an achievement. In other words, it's been three years and three months since the Congress has come into power on its own in any state!
The defeat in the recent assembly elections in five states clearly indicates that the entire exercise undertaken to revive the party after the debacle in the last Lok Sabha elections have failed to achieve the objective. Things have come to such a pass that Congress supporters are losing faith in Rahul Gandhi who is being projected as the challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party leaders also doubt if Priyanka Gandhi can revive the party.
While reiterating that he is not ready to become the Congress president, Rahul Gandhi continues to exercise all powers of the party chief while taking decisions and intervening in most issues from the sidelines. Meanwhile, Priyanka's efforts in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and now in the latest Assembly elections too came a cropper.
In the party circles it's widely felt it is time for the Gandhi family to step aside and bring some other person at the helm of the affairs. The Congress is facing the threat of losing its status as the main opposition formation in the country. With Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee trying to make inroads, it would not be easy for the Congress to claim the right to call itself as the natural choice for opposition leadership.
The defeat in the elections to Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur indicate that the Congress has lost the ability to evolve a political strategy or tactics in tune with the aspirations of the voters. At a time when Sonia Gandhi is getting ready to retire from politics owing to ill health, what she leaves behind is a set of party leaders who are engaged in fighting against each other and a weak party.
Soon after the poll results came in on Thursday afternoon Rahul Gandhi said the party would learn lessons from the defeat. But several elections have been held and Rahul should have learnt his lessons.
Congress Working Committee meeting soon
Congress president Sonia Gandhi will convene the meeting of Congress Working Committee to review the poll debacle in the assembly elections.
The date will be finalised later. Meanwhile, resentment is brewing in Punjab against the interventions made by the high command in the state.
